Mind the gaps: how can food safety gaps be addressed in developing nations?

As global food systems integrate, to meet the demands of a growing global population, safe and healthy agriculture value-chains will be essential to maintaining public health worldwide. In many ways, the current global food production landscape is made up of “mice and men.” Meaning that the food sector within and across most countries includes both large-scale corporate agriculture production and varying degrees of small-scale agriculture production; the variation being the interpretation of small scale, which is highly dependent upon the country. This structure presents challenges for the creation of effective food safety systems in many countries, and can contribute to deficiencies in monitoring and control of foodborne hazards within agriculture value-chains. These deficiencies can lead to outbreaks of foodborne disease, impact customer acceptability, and lead to food waste and loss. Recent estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) have determined that “the global burden of Foodborne Disease is comparable to those of the three major infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis” (Havelaar et al., 2015). This has solidified presumptions and indications that unsafe food production has major impacts on global public health, human and country productivity, and development outcomes. Furthermore, these findings pose the question: What is the role of food safety in global agriculture value-chain development, and how can improvements to global food safety improve agriculture productivity worldwide? The answer to this question may lead to innovative approaches to global food systems that will assist in producing enough safe and nutritious food to feed the world. The purpose of this article is to explore key concepts per- taining to food safety and the development of effective, effi- cient, and equitable food safety systems on a global scale. As the authors, we recognize that there are numerous factors involved in the topic of global food safety systems and food security. Due to this complexity, we have chosen to focus on a few concepts that we view as holding the most potential for impact, as well as directly influencing food safety and public health outcomes. Furthermore, based upon the readership of this journal, the article will also highlight the role of animal production in global food safety, as well as in creating healthy agriculture value-chains and healthy people

A review of Shiga-toxin producing \u3ci\u3eEscherichia coli\u3c/i\u3e (STEC) contamination in the raw pork production chain

Epidemiological evidence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections associated with the consumption of contaminated pork highlight the need for increased awareness of STEC as an emerging pathogen in the pork supply chain. The objective of this review is to contribute to our understanding of raw pork products as potential carriers of STEC into the food supply. We summarize and critically analyze primary literature reporting the prevalence of STEC in the raw pork production chain. The reported prevalence rate of stx-positive E. coli isolates in live swine, slaughtered swine, and retail pork samples around the world ranged from 4.4 % (22/500) to 68.3 % (82/120), 22 % (309/1395) to 86.3 % (69/80), and 0.10 % (1/1167) to 80 % (32/40), respectively, depending upon the sample categories, detection methods, and the hygiene condition of the slaughterhouses and retail markets. In retail pork, serogroup O26 was prevalent in the U.S., Europe, and Africa. Serogroup O121 was only reported in the U.S. Furthermore, serogroup O91 was reported in the U.S., Asia, and South American retail pork samples. The most common virulence gene combination in retail pork around the globe were as follows: the U.S.: serogroup O157 + stx, non-O157 + stx, unknown serogroups+stx + eae; Europe: unknown serogroups+(stx + eae, stx2 + eae, or stx1 + stx2 + eae); Asia: O157 + stx1 + stx2 + ehxA, Unknown+stx1 + eaeA + ehxA, or only eae; Africa: O157 + stx2 + eae + ehxA. STEC strains derived from retail pork in the U.S. fall under low to moderate risk categories capable of causing human disease, thus indicating the need for adequate cooking and prevention of cross contamination to minimize infection risk in humans

Thermal inactivation of \u3ci\u3eSalmonella\u3c/i\u3e on chicken wings cooked in domestic convection and air fryer ovens

Chicken wings are among the most popular poultry products for home and foodservice consumption. Poultry products must be handled and cooked safely to decrease the risk of foodborne salmonellosis for consumers. This study aims to validate the use of domestic appliances (convection and air fryer ovens) for the thermal inactivation of Salmonella on chicken wings. Wings (n = 3, 46.5 ± 4.3 g) were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of Salmonella (ca. 8 log10 CFU/wing) and cooked in a convection oven (179.4ºC) or an air fryer (176, 190, or 204ºC) for 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 22, or 25 min. Thermocouples recorded temperature profiles of wings and appliances. Salmonella counts were determined on XLD agar for rinsates (100 ml/sample), and rinsates were enriched to recover bacteria below the limit of quantification. The recommended internal cooking temperature (73.8ºC) was achieved after a range of 7.5 to 8.5 min in both appliances. Salmonella countswere reduced by 6.5 log10 CFU/wing when this temperaturewas achieved. Cumulative lethality (F-value) calculations predicted a 9-log reduction after 7.0 to 8.1 min of cooking. However, sample enrichments tested positive for Salmonella for all cooking times below 22 min. Ultimately, cooking at the temperature–time combinations recommended by manufacturers and online recipes helped achieve complete microbial elimination in both appliances. This study contributes to the validation of home cooking methods to ensure consumer safety

Revisiting the STEC Testing Approach: Using espK and espV to Make Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) Detection More Reliable in Beef

Current methods for screening Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 and non-O157 in beef enrichments typically rely on the molecular detection of stx, eae, and serogroup-specific wzx or wzy gene fragments. As these genetic markers can also be found in some non-EHEC strains, a number of “false positive” results are obtained. Here, we explore the suitability of five novel molecular markers, espK, espV, ureD, Z2098, and CRISPRO26:H11 as candidates for a more accurate screening of EHEC strains of greater clinical significance in industrialized countries. Of the 1739 beef enrichments tested, 180 were positive for both stx and eae genes. Ninety (50%) of these tested negative for espK, espV, ureD, and Z2098, but 12 out of these negative samples were positive for the CRISPRO26:H11 gene marker specific for a newly emerging virulent EHEC O26:H11 French clone. We show that screening for stx, eae, espK, and espV, in association with the CRISPRO26:H11 marker is a better approach to narrow down the EHEC screening step in beef enrichments. The number of potentially positive samples was reduced by 48.88% by means of this alternative strategy compared to the European and American reference methods, thus substantially improving the discriminatory power of EHEC screening systems. This approach is in line with the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) opinion on pathogenic STEC published in 2013

Revisiting the STEC Testing Approach: Using espK and espV to Make Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) Detection More Reliable in Beef

Current methods for screening Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 and non-O157 in beef enrichments typically rely on the molecular detection of stx, eae, and serogroup-specific wzx or wzy gene fragments. As these genetic markers can also be found in some non-EHEC strains, a number of “false positive” results are obtained. Here, we explore the suitability of five novel molecular markers, espK, espV, ureD, Z2098, and CRISPRO26:H11 as candidates for a more accurate screening of EHEC strains of greater clinical significance in industrialized countries. Of the 1739 beef enrichments tested, 180 were positive for both stx and eae genes. Ninety (50%) of these tested negative for espK, espV, ureD, and Z2098, but 12 out of these negative samples were positive for the CRISPRO26:H11 gene marker specific for a newly emerging virulent EHEC O26:H11 French clone. We show that screening for stx, eae, espK, and espV, in association with the CRISPRO26:H11 marker is a better approach to narrow down the EHEC screening step in beef enrichments. The number of potentially positive samples was reduced by 48.88% by means of this alternative strategy compared to the European and American reference methods, thus substantially improving the discriminatory power of EHEC screening systems. This approach is in line with the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) opinion on pathogenic STEC published in 2013

Pseudomonas Survive Thermal Processing and Grow during Vacuum Packaged Storage in an Emulsified Beef System

New research has suggested the ability of Pseudomonas, a common spoilage microorganism, to grow in cooked beef products stored under vacuum which challenges the traditional understanding of the role of Pseudomonas during cooked beef spoilage. Understanding the mechanisms of survival and growth of Pseudomonas in these products is crucial for improving shelf life. The objective of this experiment was to determine Pseudomonas survival in a thermally processed, emulsified cooked beef model system. After eight weeks of refrigerated storage, Pseudomonas was recovered from cooked emulsified beef, indicating the potential for Pseudomonas to survive thermal processing and cause spoilage in cooked vacuum packaged beef products

Evaluation of peroxyacetic acid, liquid buffered vinegar, and cultured dextrose fermentate as potential antimicrobial interventions for raw chicken livers

This study aimed to evaluate the use of peroxyacetic acid (PAA), buffered vinegar (BV), and cultured dextrose fermentate (CDF) to reduce Salmonella on artificially inoculated raw chicken livers, one of the most consumed offal around the world. Samples were inoculated with a 5-strain cocktail of poultry-borne Salmonella to obtain 106 CFU/g and immersed for 90 s with agitation in one of the following treatments: distilled water (control), 450 ppm PAA, 2.0% (w/v) BV, or 1.5% (w/v) CDF, prior to storing at 4oC. Salmonella was enumerated on XLD agar and monitored for 14 days. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance. After immersion, there was a significant Salmonella reduction (p \u3c .05) with all treatments, including the control. PAA resulted in the greatest numerical reduction at 0.65 ± 0.12 log; however, there were no significant differences in the reductions among all other treatments (p \u3e .05). After 14 days, higher numerical reductions were observed for PAA, but only when compared to CDF. Although similar reductions (p \u3e .05) were noted after 14 days except for CDF, Salmonella counts were lowest in all timepoints when PAA was used. PAA and CDF inhibited the growth of aerobic bacteria until day 3 while BV inhibited the growth up to 7 days. Regarding objective color, chicken livers immersed in PAA became lighter, but the difference was not sustained over time. No differences were observed in redness or yellowness values across any treatments

Spoilage \u3ci\u3ePseudomonas\u3c/i\u3e survive common thermal processing schedules and grow in emulsified meat during extended vacuum storage

Some Pseudomonas species are common meat spoilage bacteria that are often associated with the spoilage of fresh meat. The recently reported ability of these bacteria to also spoil cooked and vacuum packaged meat products has created the need to investigate all potential routes of spoilage they may be able to utilize. The objective of this experiment was to determine if spoilage Pseudomonas spp. survive thermal processing and grow during refrigerated storage under vacuum. Pseudomonas spp. isolates collected from spoiled turkey products were inoculated into a salted and seasoned meat emulsion that was vacuum sealed and thermally treated to final temperatures of 54.4 and 71.1◦C to mimic thermal processes commonly used in the meat industry. Samples were stored for a total of 294 days at 4 and 10◦C and plated using Pseudomonas spp. specific agar plates. Pseudomonas spp. concentrations were below the detection limit (0.18 log10 CFU/g) immediately after thermal processing andwere first recovered from thermally processed samples after 14 days of storage. The final concentrationwas greater than 2 log10 CFU/g (p \u3c 0.05 compared to post-thermal processing) in thermally processed treatment groups at the end of storage, indicating that these Pseudomonas spp. isolateswere able to survive thermal processing and growduring extended vacuum storage. This raises concerns about the ability of spoilage bacteria to survive the thermal processing schedules commonly used in the meat industry and confirms that some Pseudomonas spp. are capable of thriving in products other than aerobically stored fresh meat

Heuristic and Hierarchical-Based Population Mining of Salmonella enterica Lineage I Pan-Genomes as a Platform to Enhance Food Safety

The recent incorporation of bacterial whole-genome sequencing (WGS) into Public Health laboratories has enhanced foodborne outbreak detection and source attribution. As a result, large volumes of publicly available datasets can be used to study the biology of foodborne pathogen populations at an unprecedented scale. To demonstrate the application of a heuristic and agnostic hierarchical population structure guided pan-genome enrichment analysis (PANGEA), we used populations of S. enterica lineage I to achieve two main objectives: (i) show how hierarchical population inquiry at different scales of resolution can enhance ecological and epidemiological inquiries; and (ii) identify population-specific inferable traits that could provide selective advantages in food production environments. Publicly available WGS data were obtained from NCBI database for three serovars of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica lineage I (S. Typhimurium, S. Newport, and S. Infantis). Using the hierarchical genotypic classifications (Serovar, BAPS1, ST, cgMLST), datasets from each of the three serovars showed varying degrees of clonal structuring. When the accessory genome (PANGEA) was mapped onto these hierarchical structures, accessory loci could be linked with specific genotypes. A large heavy-metal resistance mobile element was found in the Monophasic ST34 lineage of S. Typhimurium, and laboratory testing showed that Monophasic isolates have on average a higher degree of copper resistance than the Biphasic ones. In S. Newport, an extra sugEgene copy was found among most isolates of the ST45 lineage, and laboratory testing of multiple isolates confirmed that isolates of S. Newport ST45 were on average less sensitive to the disinfectant cetylpyridimium chloride than non-ST45 isolates. Lastly, data-mining of the accessory genomic content of S. Infantis revealed two cryptic Ecotypes with distinct accessory genomic content and distinct ecological patterns. Poultry appears to be themajor reservoir for Ecotype 1, and temporal analysis further suggested a recent ecological succession, with Ecotype 2 apparently being displaced by Ecotype 1. Altogether, the use of a heuristic hierarchical-based population structure analysis that includes bacterial pan-genomes (core and accessory genomes) can (1) improve genomic resolution for mapping populations and accessing epidemiological patterns; and (2) define lineage-specific informative loci that may be associated with survival in the food chain

FDST 403/803 – Food Quality Assurance

Food Science and Technology (FDST) 403: Food Quality Assurance is an upper level required course for FDST undergraduate majors at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The course covers food safety regulations, food safety management systems, and statistical process control applied to food safety and quality in food manufacturing. This Peer Review of Teaching Portfolio documents the course analysis and reflection for spring 2021. Two mid-semester student course evaluations were performed on March 1 and April 5, the lecture immediately after the midterm exams. Anonymous paper and online surveys were filled out during class time asking students to reflect on the course using the question “What has gone well?” as the driver. Students’ feedback helped make changes throughout the semester that positively impacted student learning. Overall, the students performed satisfactorily in the course and significantly better than the 2020 cohort. Course reflection sessions were of great value to collect student feedback and have direct and honest conversations with the students. Additionally, intentionality in assignments and evaluations was a major component of the program. Lastly, the identified opportunities for improvement included course materials and tools and clarifying course expectations